Gold, Silver Rise Modestly for Second Day

For a second straight session, gold, silver and palladium futures advanced while platinum declined

Gold and silver futures marked a second day of modest gains Tuesday after logging multi-month lows on Friday.

Gold for August delivery added $1.50, or 0.1%, to settle at $1,214.70 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

"We’re stalling right after the selling got a little exhausted on Friday," Reuters quoted Phillip Streible, senior commodities broker for RJO Futures in Chicago. "A lot of people are forward-looking, waiting for Janet Yellen’s testimony later on this week."

Fed Chair Yellen will deliver her semi-annual monetary policy testimony before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday.

Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,207.40 to a high of $1,217.10. They climbed 0.3% in their start to the trading week on Monday. On Friday, they closed at their lowest level since March 15.

Elsewhere, silver for September delivery gained 11.6 cents, or 0.7%, to settle at $15.745 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $15.42 and $15.83. They rose 1.3% in the previous session after closing on Friday at their worst level since April 8, 2016.

In rounding out precious metals dealings:

October platinum declined $3.20, or 0.4%, to $898.70 an ounce, ranging from $891.40 to $904.10.

Palladium for September added $9.50, or 1.1%, to $846.85 an ounce, trading between $832.25 and $851.45.

London Precious Metals Prices

In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Monday PM to Tuesday PM:

Gold dipped 85 cents, or 0.07%, to 1,211.05 an ounce.

Silver gained 29 cents, or 1.9%, to $15.51 an ounce.

LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.

US Mint Bullion Sales in 2017

U.S. Mint bullion sales were unchanged. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods. Products with an asterisk (*) are no longer available.